Thanks, sorry it’s been a while since I used a forum too! Haha
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I dunno about srm450 mk3 having never used or known anyone who's used them, so be wary. Mackie started changing stuff (allegedly moving everything to cheap as chips production) after the mk1. That said, everything these days is built to a price & there isn't much that isn't made in China nowadays. But there's Chinese & there's Chinese you wouldn't touch with someone else's, if you know what I mean ;)
Where srm450 mk3 sit on that scale I dunno. About everyone I know has a tale of woe about their not-very-old active speaker going wonky or exploding into flames across many brands from dB to Mackie to FBT & Yamaha. Even my old Altos needed new woofers twice (both user error mind).
And once you've got over the shock of PAT and PLI, we'll tell you about Produb! I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it.
Right, I've taken the tablets, and I've got a minute or two spare.
Gigbar? Marmite. Love 'em, or hate'em. They're blindingly ugly in the daylight, and superb in the dark. It's a one box lightshow, quick and easy to set up, and yes, two will sync up no problem. Cheaper versions are hitting the market, and they are not bad.
PAT testing new gear? Grey area. Just cos it's new doesn't mean it will pass/doesn't need a PAT test. In practice, many of us don't get them tested until the annual test. Grey area.
PA. I will take issue with my learned friend Benny over the need to spend huge sums of money to get a decent PA. I have found many places selling RCF 315s for below £800 a pair. They wouldn't be my all time favourite cab, but in my humble opinion, they'd beat the Mackie 450s. We always recommend not buying speakers until you've heard them. Sound is personal, and I can name people whose ears are 180 degrees out of phase with mine.
My 400 quid a pair Alto Ts115A stood me in reasonably good stead for ages. Were they brilliant? NO. Did they do the job? Hmmmmmmm maybe just for crowds of up to 100 adults. Thing is, they were only just decent enough so as not to sound too offensive at high volumes. Spend double that & you're on much more solid ground. In my experience, cheap speakers sound like muck compared to dearer ones, once you've got them away from demo circumstances & have gigged them. Cheap models' sound really falls apart at higher volumes after an hour or so.
I spent 3x what I paid for the altos when I upgraded. The differences are STAGGERING at gigs but in a quick A/B test you could easily question why you'd want to spend that much more money. I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a pair to try, but as soon as I got home I clicked BUY. 1200 quid? Pah! I'd made up my mind long before I'd finished the gig.
Hire first & save so you can afford to buy better than cheap, sooner. Then you won't need to upgrade for quite some time.
And you need to lay off that posh gin, it's affecting your spelling. :p:D We're splitting hairs, Benny. ( And I've got precious few left as it is :( ) I was very surprised to find that you could get RCF cabs, cables and tripods brand new for less than £800 per pair.
I'd thus say that for example, a trusted secondhand pair of 15" RCFs could be regarded as a wise investment. There's a pair of 715s on Ebay currently bidding at around £650, and 712s at £550 buy it now. I'd use either of those for a wide range of gigs.
BUT: Both those referred to are Mk2s and thus a tad long in the tooth. Sadly, we don't know what sort of a life they've had. The eternal conundrum, the safety of a brand new lesser grade product, or the risk of a higher grade secondhand one? :confused: